Pastor’s Message for October 2022

Greetings Friends,

     It’s harvest season. Soon the restaurants will be filled with pumpkin-spice flavored beverages of all kinds. Months of work for farmers and gardeners is finally paying off with all kinds of delicious fruit and vegetables.

     I am amazed by the remarkable talents of those who can grow plants of any kind. Kristen and I are notorious “plant-killers.” There is a reason the only plants you will find in my office are cacti. Growing plants takes a lot of work and care.

     In the same way, our spiritual life requires much care and nurturing. Just as the largest plant begins with a tiny seed, our spiritual growth begins with small seeds planted in our life by the Holy Spirit. The seeds of faith may be sown by loving parents, faithful teachers, pastors, and friends. The Holy Spirit works within us before we even realize, drawing us into relationship with Jesus Christ.

     But God is not content to simply save us from our sin! God continues to work within us, bringing those seeds of faith into maturity. As we grow in our faith, we begin to look more and more like the One in whose image we are created. We have a word for this process of growth called “sanctification.” Sanctification is a life-long process. Our faith is nurtured by our time spent with our fellow Christians, prayer, worship, communion, and bible study. As our faith grows, our lives become fertile ground for the Spirit to produce a bountiful harvest of fruit.

     My prayer for you is that God will continue to work within you so that you may grow more deeply in your love for God and for people, and that your life will produce an abundant harvest for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

God loves you, and so do I,
Pastor Jim